Kevin Carter

The St. Louis offense and Tampa Bay defense, two of the NFL's strongest units, dominated the Associated Press all-pro team announced Saturday. Quarterback Kurt Warner, the league's most valuable player, record-setting running back Marshall Faulk and tackle Orlando Pace were among the four Rams to make the squad. Defensive tackle Warren Sapp, linebacker Derrick Brooks and safety John Lynch were three of the four Buccaneers voted to the team by a nationwide panel of 50 media members.

For six years, Kevin Carter repeated his senior year of high school. Always the nice-looking new kid, he studied math and English, made friends, scored drugs from other students. And busted them. He's 24, but his face is as unlined and pink-cheeked as a 10-year-old's. He's loose-jointed, rangy, adolescent. He could have passed as a high-school senior for many more years. But Kevin Carter's career as a high school narc is over.

Three Americans have been charged with heroin trafficking after one was detained at the international airport and two others were arrested in their Bangkok hotel room, Thai police said Sunday. New Yorker Alvin Torres, 33, was held late Saturday as he was about to board a Thai Airways International flight to Copenhagen. Police said customs officials found four pressed bars of heroin weighing 20.3 pounds hidden in a briefcase.

Kevin Carter, an All-Pro two years ago but a big disappointment last season, was traded by the St. Louis Rams to the Titans. The Titans, who dealt a first-round draft pick for Carter, also announced that they reached terms on a six-year contract with the defensive end. The NFL was reviewing the trade and the proposed deal. The trade gives the Rams two first-round picks, adding to their original No. 20 selection in April's draft. The Titans had the No. 29 selection.

Following the first game between Houston's old team and its new one, the Tennessee Titans went out of their way to praise the expansion Texans. Although Tennessee won Sunday's game, 17-10, the Texans earned their opponents' respect by showing that this could soon become an interesting rivalry. Steve McNair threw for two touchdowns and Eddie George ran for 86 yards to help the Titans -- formerly the Houston Oilers -- defeat the team that succeeded them.

San Francisco mortgaged its future to win in the '90s and the future is now for the 49ers Call them Hofstra West (Dave Fiore, Gio Carmazzi and Lance Schulters) . . . and they don't even have the best Hofstra player, Wayne Chrebet. There might be reason for optimism in the San Francisco secondary. And that, in itself, is a major improvement on last season, when the 49ers went through seven starting cornerbacks and ranked last in the NFL in pass defense.